On Tuesday Carl DeMaio won the mayoral primary, becomes San Diego's first-ever openly gay finalist for the office. But his candidacy has divided the city's LGBT population.

Despite his sexual orientation, DeMaio has not won the full support of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, in part because he never took a stance on Proposition 8, the ballot measure which defined marriage as between a man and a woman. "He's made a statement that almost denies that he's willing to be the ambassador," said LGBT voter Robert Bettinger. However, DeMaio's plan to trim city spending has won him the support of some in the LGBT community. "If you're asking me if a couple of years ago if I'd be supporting a Republican mayor, I'd probably have said no," said Dave McCulloch, an LGBT voter. "He has accepted financial support, both in his council race in 2008 and in his mayoral campaign from individuals who are openly hostile to the LGBT community," said Craig Roberts, who is with San Diego Democrats for Equality.